been once, would love to go again. i would recommend getting off the beaten track a little, as the centre is tourist madness, but just outside its can be really nice. you can get a travelcard which gets you on all public transport within the city, i forget exactly how much but its pretty darn cheap. go to the cathedral- the sun shining through the stained glass almost gave me a spiritual experience, and i'm not a religious guy at all. and of course, the beer is worth the price of admission on its own. you should go. and take me too

I've been there four times and I like it even more everytime! As previous speaker said, get off the beaten track for a while and stroll around where there are not that many tourists. When are you going? What are your interests?

I've been there four times and I like it even more everytime! As previous speaker said, get off the beaten track for a while and stroll around where there are not that many tourists. When are you going? What are your interests?

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probably going in August. My wife and I take an interest in everything from the mundane to the grandious.
Definitely want to see some castles, drink more Pilsner Urquell than what I already do, check out the older architecture etc, etc.
might also go to Slovakia, as that's where my family name is from (and my screen name).
I'm glad to see that some Euro TBers are checking in

Czech Republic! Best dark beers in the world and some of the best hockey too

Good stuff to drink: Velkopopovicky, Staropramen, Saris, Krusovice.. Most beers are available in both blonde and dark, and popular habit is to mix them 50/50. Of these brands, Velko is probably the sweetest in dark form, Staropramen the most well balanced, Saris quite similar to Guinness and Krusovice similar to dark lager.

I've been to Bratislava in Slovakia, it's a very nice tiny capital city. Not that much to see or do, but if you want to enjoy old Europe atmosphere for a few days it's nice. Even the 'old town' prices are good when it comes to food and drink.

mmm... beer. The best (imho) beer in CZ is Gambrinus, hands down.. with Staropramen as a close runner up.

My tips:

First of all get one of those passes that makes you go on any public transportation for the period of time you wish. The subway is really nice (and russian), the trams are nice too and an excellent way to have a look around. Also get a good map (Falkplan) and a guidebook, IN ADVANCE!

The National musem at the top end of the central boulevard, big big and free!

The technical museum, hard to describe where its at but it is a classical "eastern europe museum" with lots of interesting stuff. As an example a couple of steamengines inside, and a big balloon hanging from the ceiling in a room. Photo, radio and lots of other interesting technology. One can also eat an easy lunch there, go for the potato pancakes.. but they are salt (=demands beer).

Troja castle, up north easily reached by bus (marked zoo) an old restored mansion. Really nice and beautiful. (zoo across the street from entrance. I dont like zoos.)

Pizza? Check out Pizzeria Kmotra (godmother) Big and juicy from the logfired furnace, dont forget the beer! Pub on the entrance floor, and pizza in the basement A classic!

Regular food? Dont go near the tourist restaurants! Go a couple of streets in any direction, and look for locals hanging out...Thats a good restaurant (and about 1/2 the price). I favoured Club architectu at the Jerusalem square, great food cheap. Also nice environment.

Musical instruments? There is a rather good store just nearby the Vaclav avenue about 300m east I think.. But everything is cheaper in the USA I guess.

I could go on forever here...
Then the obvious:
Carlsbridge
The castle
U FLeko the brewery, oldest in the world
Old town
Jewish cemetary

Did I forget anything? YEs probably.. dang, I wish I could go again and again..

Edit: About hotels, dont pick a too expensive one.. you are just going to sleep there anyways. Be sure it is close to a subway station (<10min walk) or almost as good a tram stop. The subway is very good and fast!

I was in Prague about five years ago. It's an incredible city and I hope to go back someday. Get a good tour book and check out whatever interests you. The castle is a must-see. The city is pretty easy to navigate with public transit. As an added bonus, the Czech Republic is home to some of the most beautiful women in the world. Walk around the city and you'll see what I mean.

I was there in '93. 13 years have passed, but it was one of my favorite European cities. Beautiful in a scary, dark, gothic way. One day we ended up in a local working class beer hall outside the city and were drinking giant liter mugs of good beer for 33 cents a piece. Not sure if it's still this cheap there....I know it's been westernized quite a bit since then.

We also had a hairy experience in Slovakia when we tried to get a free ride on the train from Budapest to Prague. We pretended to be stupid Americans that didn't know any better and thought our Eurail passes worked there. When they woke us and asked for a ticket they were not amused and shook us down for a while before we magically found money for the fare. Good times.

Almost forgot...the Jewish Cemetary in Prague is very creepy and a must see. I have one of the best pictures I've ever taken from there.

Praha is beautiful, but crowded. It is probably the biggest tourist destination in Europe these days. Lots of tour groups, and lots of young college kids getting drunk. But beer is amazingly cheap, and there's plenty to do! Take some excursions outside of Prague for a real feel for Czech.

I'd go, but hit some other nearby cities as well. Bratislava is also amazing, and it's hard to find a nicer people than the Slovaks. Austria is right to the south, and I can't even mention anywhere in Central Europe without asking that you visit Austria. Amazing country, great people. One word: Hallstatt. It will blow you away. It's a short ride from Salzburg. Both Salzburg and Hallstatt are worth seeing. Oh, and Dürnstein outside of Vienna. Also stunning for it's atmosphere. And Carinthia in the south. Austria is just awesome. I could live there, and intend to eventually.

Also, shameless plug for Slovenia (I have alot of family there), if you want to go that far south. A nice taste of Yugoslavia.

I've been there once. Truly amazing place(MIGHT go this summer in july to visit friends who live there, not sure though). And the beer is good....and cheap. I could probably ask them about stuff to do there if need be.

Prague is definately my favorite city i've ever been too. I have too much to say. Big +1 to pretty much every thing mesa man said.

I like a place called miracle right off old town square and across charles bridge there's some great little pubs as well. Just make sure when u order an al capone pizza you say it like you're italian. They'll have no idea what you're talking about otherwise.

close to prague's main castle is loreta monestary. i thought it was georgeos and probably missed by a lot of tourists.

You should definately go before the switch to the euro. 2010 i think anyone? Especially in prague where beaten path is like 24 crown for a beer on the path, and 17 off the path if I remember correctly. In olomouc it was like 9 crown i think. All really cheap regardless, anyways a BIIIG +1 to krusovice dark.

There's also a bone cemetary in a closeby neighboring town, sedlec or somethign like that... name escapes me right now... you HAVE to go to it... it's sweet like this